Day 2 of the U.S. Open at Erin Hills

Hideki Matsuyama: While it was a bad Friday for the top three in the World Golf Ranking, it was pretty good for No. 4. The 25-year-old from Japan shot a 65 in a round that featured six birdies on the first eight holes. Chez Reavie also shot 65 on Friday, joining Rickie Fowler's 65 from Thursday.

Derek Barron: Barron, of Tacoma, Wash., didn't pick up golf until he was 17. Now 32, he is a rookie on the Canadian tour, and he has been keeping a diary of his U.S. Open experience on the USGA's website. He shot a 2-under 70 in Round 1 but came crashing down Friday with an 83. "With as good as everything went on Thursday, it was completely the opposite on Friday," he wrote.

Troy Merritt: The lone Minnesota connection in the U.S. Open matched his first-round score with another 74 and missed the cut. The Spring Lake Park product had moved to 2 under on the day with a birdie at the par-5 14th but finished the last four holes in 4 over to turn an excellent round into a disappointment. "You finish bogey, par, bogey, double, you probably don't deserve to make the cut," he said. "Nevertheless, there was a lot of progress this week."

It was another warm, dry day at Erin Hills, making the course more challenging with each passing minute. Masters champion Sergio Garcia, who shot a 1-under 71, said: "I think the greens are getting U.S. Open-like, but not as firm as they're going to get if we don't get any rain. But I think definitely getting a lot speedier, a lot faster."

• Cameron Champ, 22, blasted his way to a 69, drawing attention for his long drives and steady putting. No amateur has won the Open since Johnny Goodman in 1933. Champ, a senior at Texas A&M, recorded four birdies and one bogey over his final seven holes.

• Wisconsin native Steve Stricker made the cut at 1 over, with rounds of 73 and 72. The 50-year-old has made the cut in each of his past 24 major championships dating to the 2010 Masters. "I still feel like I've got a lot of good golf in me," he said.

• Danny Willett withdrew because of a back injury. The 2016 Masters winner has had recurring back issues in his career and shot a 9-over 81 in the first round.

"Guess what? We get to go home today because Daddy played poorly."

— Jason Day to his 4-year-old son, Dash, after the No. 3 golfer in the world went 79-75 after finishing in the top 10 each of the previous four U.S. Opens.

"If you'd told me at the beginning of the week that my +2 would miss the cut I'd slap you."

— Web.com veteran Kyle Thompson (@KyleThompsonPGA), who shot 76-70 to miss out on the weekend.

Day 3